Since January, 1,450 migrants have been rescued either by British or French coastguards — more than double the number who tried to cross the busy shipping lane in the whole of 2018, according to official French figures released last month.

Interior minister Priti Patel met her French counterpart in Paris last month, when they agreed “to deploy more resources along the French coast to intercept and stop crossings,” her department said.

“We are working closely at all levels with the French authorities to tackle this dangerous and illegal activity,” an interior ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Border force cutters are patrolling the Channel while equipment including drones, CCTV and night vision goggles are in use.

“Crossing the Channel in a small boat is a huge risk. The criminal gangs who perpetuate this are ruthless and do not care about the loss of life,” the spokesperson added.

Tuesday began with the interception of two small boats carrying 23 people from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Philipines.